The Coward's Potion
by Nevillefan
Summary: He's shy. She's a celebrity. Will he be able to get over his awkward nature and ask her out? Perhaps he could with a little help from a dare and a potion. Find out what happens inside! R&R puhlee Badly written summary done on purpose, by the way.
1. You're Beautiful

Instructions for reading:

1. Insert tongue firmly in cheek.  
2. Read and, if desired, laugh.  
3. Should the need arise, write a review.  
4. Unless you're being funny and sarcastic (which is more than welcome, by the way), please keep any _**serious**_ comments about mistakes to yourself. I _know _there's spelling errors. I _know_ phrasing is awful. I _know_ grammar is disgustingly wrong. This is a parody of bad-fics and should be taken as such. You can keep your flames.

**Real Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter, JK Rowling does. That should be apparent by now. This was written for The Worst Fic Challenge issued by Precious Rin over at harrypotterfanfiction. I wanted to torture Justin because he's my most hated character and thus was born a very badly written fic that's actually enjoyable if you can get past the first few paragraphs (and I highly encourage that). I had a blast writing it even though it was torture knowing I was posting crap. This is also posted at HPFF and you can see the really bad banner I made with Paint. Love and cookies to anyone who wanders that way ;) There were worse ones that others made for their fics but I'm rather proud of mine. It's awful. Anyway, thanks for stopping by!

* * *

Discalimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any of the stuff you recocgnize here cuz i'm not Jo Rowling. I wish I was though cuz then I'd be totally rich. But I'm not so that sucks but oh well :) lol I do own the character Arianalei. She's a really cool character so I think you'll love her. R&R's are much appreciated!!!!!! Love and Kisses!!!!

**The Coward's Potion**

**~*~**

**You're Beautiful**

(James Blunt)

_You're beautiful  
__You're beautiful it's true  
__I saw your face in a crowded place  
__And I don't know what to do  
__'Cause I'll never be with you_

Justin Finch-Fletchly could hardly keep his eyes open. He was so bored. He hated History of Magic. Being muggleborne and never knowing anything about magic until recieving his letter of acceptance to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the History class used to fasinate him but after 5 years of professor Binns's droning about troll raids and giant wars, it wasn't fun anymore. Justin felt himself falling into that welcome blackness of sleep again but startled awake when his chin slipped from his hand that was being propped up by his elbow that rested on his desk and his forhead hit his desk with a loud thump. Blushing a bright shade of burgandy, Justin tried to not notice the snickers from the students in the class.

It was then that he a girl he had never noticed before sitting 2 rows straight to his left. noticed her, sitting two rows straight to his left. She had long chestnut brown hair that flowed passed the back of her chair with a sparkly clip holding back the sides so he could see her georgeous profile. Her eyes, or what he could see of them were a light chocolate brown.

Who was she and why had he never seen her before? He had to find out.

Justin leaned over to his friend Ron Weasley and pointed his attention to the girl who was now chewing thoughtful on her quill. "Who's the girl?" he whispered.

Ron looked at him odd. "Dude, what rock have you been living under? That's Arianalei Warbeck. You know, the singer? She's the daughter of Celestina Warbeck."

"_The_ Celestina Warbeck? The international music sensation?"

"Yup."

"Wow. I've never heard of Arianalei Warbeck. She's georgous."

"She's freaking famous."

"Guess she'd never notice a guy like me, huh?"

"Probably not."

"When did she get here?"

"I don't know. Just transfered I think."

"From what school?"

Ron sighed loudly. "Look, if I don't take notes on this lesson 'Mione's gonna be mad at me and I really don't wanna have to put up with her ranting. You like her so much, ask her out."

Justin blushed burgandy again. "Oh no, I couldn't."

"C'mon, there's that Winter ball thing 'Mione's dragging me to next week. Now's as good as a time as any."

"She's probably already got a date."

"Guess you'll never find out then, will you," Ron shrugged and went back to doodling on his parchment.

Justin thought about this. Ron was right. He woud never know if he didn't ask. After the bell rang and the students rushed to get as far away from professor Binns as they could, justin held back and watched Arianalei calmly gathering her books into her bag. Her long hair fell into her face and she blew it away with a small puff of breath from her red painted mouth, causing Justin to go numb from the head down. He tried to move toward her but he couldn't seem to move his feet. To justin's horror she looked up at him and caught him staring at her. He didn't need to know, he decided, and now was as good as a time as any to run away. His numbed fingers lost the books in his grasp and made a horrible mess on the floor and he tripped over his own toes, sending him flying stomach first to the floor. To his pure embarasement she began giggling horribly. Her milk chocolate eyes brimed with tears of amusement from his display. Still laughing, she knelt down to help him bather his mess, seeing as he was currently paralyzed.

"I'm sorry, but you should have seen yourself. It was like something from a Will Smith movie." When he remained silent she pushed her hand out to him. "My name's Arianalei."

Right away Justin heard her strong American accent. He wanted to ask her about that. He wanted to tell her his name too. He wanted to ask her out. He tried to speak but it seems his voice was cooperating with him about as much as his body was. Instead a strangled gagging sound escaped him.

Arianalei gave him a odd look and continued smiling pleasantly. "You can call me Arlie though." Still he was silent. "OK guess I'll cya later."

And then she was gone.

"Arlie," he whispered her name to himself and smiled to himself.

* * *

a/n I know it's short. I'll do better on the next chapter I swear!!!


	2. Whenever You Come Around

So anyways here's chappie 2 like I promised. If you leave a review I'll love you forever and give you a million kisses with a cherry and some chocolate syrup on top =) And sprinkles if you're the kinky type.

* * *

**Whenever You Come Around  
**(Vince Gill)  
_I get weak in the knees  
__And I lose my breath  
__Oh, I try to speak  
__But the words won't come  
__I'm so scared to death  
__And when you smile that smile  
__The world turns upside down  
__Whenever you come around_

After having made a compelete idiot out of himself Justin walked dazedly through the school hallways. Only one thing was running through his mind and that was "Arlie." She had smiled at him and talked to him. True, he didn't talk back. But that's beside the point. But it's not like it really mattered anymore because he wouldn't think a girl like her would ever consider spending any lenght of time with him, let alone actually enjoy herself.

Justin began to wonder if being loved by a beautiful girl was even possible for an uncoordinated, strange looking bloke like him. Even Ron, who's popular and has a pretty girlfriend, seems to be having trouble these days. And just as he wondered where that thought of Ron had come from, he saw it's source. Ron and Hermione having it out in the middle of the corridor, attrackting attention from everyone who had the pleasure of being in that hallway at that moment.

"How can you even consider that, Ronald Weasley?!" hermione yelled.

"It's true isn't it?" Ron yelled back. "I saw you talking to him in Potions. You were all in each other's potions and whispering and laughing. Right, Hermione, completely innocent!"

"How dare you!" She slapped Ron hard across the cheek and angrily walked toward him, making him reactively stumble backwards, until he was against the wall and her eyes burned into his. "Harry has always been our best friend and all of a sudden you think I would do anything to jepordize that? Or my relationship with you? I love you Ronald and I thought you loved me too. Maybe I was wrong to believe that. Maybe I was wrong to ever love you at all."

Ron challenged her back, "Maybe. Why don't you go jump into bed with Harry and find out."

Hermione whirled around and stalked away. "Maybe I will!"

"Fine!"

"_Fine!"_

Ron whirled around and walked away in the opposite direction.

Justin shook his head sadly and continued walking toward the Great Hall for lunch. _Everything_ seemed to be screwed up today.

~-*~*-~

_Arianalei Warbeck, internationally known singer from LA, California, United States_

_3 albums gone Platinum._

_Muggle Grammy Award winner for Best New Artist, Song of the Year, and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance._

_WWN (Wizarding Wireless Network) Award winner for Best New Voice, 3 years in a row for Most Enchanting Song of the Year and Sorceress of the Year._

_Daughter of singing sensation Celestina Warbeck and Stubby Boardman (formerly of the Hobgoblins)._

_Current net worth: 10,640,000 Galleons. That makes her the richest adolescent of this generation._

_Next project: Album "Fly Me Away" due out sometime next spring._

Ginny looked away from the pictures of the smiling girl that covered the main article of this edition of Teen Witch Weekly. Arianalei Warbeck. _Arianalei Warbeck_! That's all ginny ever heard anymore. And now she was attending Hogwarts and had the nerve to be sorted into Gryffindor! So not only did Ginny have the pleasure of reading about Arianalei Warbeck, hearing about Arianalei Warbeck, having Arianalei Warbeck's overplayed neopunk songs shoved down her throat on a regular basis, and everybody wanting to be like Arianalei Warbeck…now Ginny had to _see_ Arianalei Warbeck on a daily basis!

And here she came to the Great Hall. Her very presence attracted the eyes of all those already in the room. Arianalei Warbeck knew they were watching her. She even had the audacity to sit toward the end of the Gryffindor table, by herself, as though she was too good to sit with other people. Arianalei Warbeck pulled out a book and began reading. In the past week this girl had been at Hogwarts Ginny had never seen her eat. Arianalei Warbeck was aparently too good for their Hogwarts food. She probably had a kitchen installed into her dorm room where her own house elf prepared anything her wonderful heart desired.

Harry chose that moment to sit across from Ginny. He looked at her watching Arianalei Warbeck reading a book and looked down at the issue of Teen Witch Weekly laying open to the 2 page spread of Arianalei Warbeck. Harry chuckled to himself. "Obsess much?"

Ginny didn't turn her eyes away from the girl who was not eating. "Look at her Harry. Sitting over there all by herself. She's such a snob."

"Whoa Ginny, tone down on the drama. I've talked to her. She's a nice girl."

Ginny turned her angry eyes to Harry. "You've talked to her? Why?"

"We have DADA together. We have things in common."

"Let me guess. You're both rich and famous."

"Don't be mean Ginny. But yeah, kinda. The constant attention, never a moment's peace, tabloids making things up about you."

Ginny smirked. "It must be hard socializing with us normal people, huh."

"If you're gong to be a total shrew about it, I'm outta here." Harry stood from his seat.

"Going to sit with your famous friend?"

"Yeah, actually. I'm going to see if she would like some company. I know what it's like for the world to hate you for being something that you're not. You just sit here and stew a while."

Harry, trying to paint a true smile on his face and wash away ginny's horrible attitude, walked over to where Arianalei was sitting. She was reading a book. _Phantom of the Opera_. "Mind if I sit with you?" he asked. She looked up to him and smiled, which Harry took as her nonverbal permission. "I thought that was just a play," he said, indicating her book.

Arianalei laughed. "No. It was a book a _long_ time before it was a play."

"Is it any good?"

Arianalei hesitated for a second, "Not really. I like Eric, the Phantom…I like his character…but it's disjointed and doesn't make sense sometimes. The play is much better. They take certain liberities with the plot that make it make sense. Actually the old movie versions of the book aren't too bad either."

"You mean other than the new version of Webber's play?"

"Ah, the classics."

"Have you seen the new movie yet?"

"Of course! Can never get enough music of the night, y'know."

Harry laughed. He noticed she wasn't eating anything. "Not eating?"

Arianalei looked at the basket of apples that was sitting in front of her. "Not hungry," she said shortly. "Sorry Harry, I gotta go now." She gathered up her things and left the Great Hall without another word.

What in the world? Harry wondered what it was that he had done to offend her.

Seconds after that is when there was some horrible sound from over by the Hufflepuff table and everybody cheered for the unfortunate person who was now the center of ridicule.

It was then that Hermione plopped heavily next to him. Her eyes were red and puffy as though she had been crying. "Hi Harry," she said. Her voice wobbled with the remains of her tears.

Harry put his hand tenderly to her shoulder. "'Mione what happened?"

Hermione's eyes began to glisten with the tears she had just been rid of and she bent her head down so Harry ocludnt' see her. "I hate him Harry."

"Who?" he tilted her chin up with his finger to meet his eyes. This only made her brimming tears turn into full sobs.

"Ron," she said.

"It can't be that bad. He's always doing something."

"He's the biggest..." she sobbed. "I hate him!"

Harry wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, allowing her to soak his shoulder with her tears.

"He thinks..." she wailed into his neck, "he thinks you and me...that you...are in love..." She sobbed into his shoulder again.

"Awe, Hermione," he petted her hair with his hand, "don't let him get to you. I'm sorry he hurt you with whatever he said this time. You're too good to hurt like this."

"Really?" she looked up to meet his eyes and sniffled very unladylikely.

Harry smiled. "Really. Come to the ball with me. It'll be fun."

This made Hermione smile too. "You don't have a date yet?"

Harry laughed. "Why would I? I've been waiting for the chance to ask my best friend."

Hermione laughed too. "OK then. To the ball it is."

~-*~*-~

Hermione walked back to the Gryffindor Tower. She hoped she wouldn't run into Ron there or see him on the way. She came to the Fat Lady's portait. "Googlymoogly," she said the password.

"Thank you," the Fat Lady said politely and swong open to reveal a hole in the ewall.

Inside there was a large fireplace with a large sofa and 2 over poofed chairs around the fireplace. One of those chairs was already occuppied by a brunette. Hermione flung herself across a sofa to watch the fire dance with the logs. She looked over to the girl and saw that it was Arianalei Warbeck.

"Hello, Arianalei," Hermione said.

Arianalei looked up from the book she was reading and smiled pleasantly. "Hello Hermione."

"Arianalei, who are you going to the ball with?" Hermione asked.

"Why?" Arianalei asked.

"Just curious. Harry asked me to go with him."

"I thought you were going with Ron. Aren't you 2 together?"

"I was but not anymore. He's a jerk. Harry asked me but I think it's just as friends. I think he just wanted to make me feel better about Ron."

"Harry's a nice guy."

"Yeah." Hermione sat up straighter on the couch. "So who are you going with?"

"I'm not going to the ball."

"Why? I know for a fact there's not one guy in this school that wouldn't die to go with you."

"I know. That's why I'm not going." When Hermione turned her head to one side and perked up curiously, she continued. "None of them want to take _me_. They wall want to take Arianalei Warbeck, Princess of Tabloids. I get enough of that in my public life. I don't need it in my private life too."

"I see," hrermione nodded, understanding a little more about the girl that was more than a simple minded star.

~-*~*-~

Justin entered the Great Hall with a stomach that was talking to him loudly and the smell of lunch was almost too much to bear. He eagerly sat down and gathered himself a scoop or two of everything in front of him and began chowing. He looked around at the other tables and spotted Ginny Weasley, in her usual attire of a Good Charlotte shirt, a black leather mini skirt, boots that laced up to her knees, and fishnet stockings. Her red hair with dyed black tips was pulled into a spiky sort of way to the top of her head and her eyes were heavily lined in dark makeup. He didn't know exactly why Ginny dressed this way now. She didn't used to. Sometime over the summer... She went home for summer holiday looking just as normal as could be and then came back looking like this.

Harry had sat down accross from her and was talking and looking at...looking at Arlie, who was seated more toward the end of the Gryffindor table (and since he was also at the end of the Hufflepuff table, he got a clear view of her) and she was alone. She looked up and caught him staring at her again. He immediately dropped his gaze down into his plate of...what in the world _was_ he eating? Something resembling a cross between hamburgers and lasagna? Oh well. It was okay eating anyways. He chanced a look back at Arlie and saw that Harry was now blocking his view of her. He always liked Harry but right now Justin wished he would go away. He liked looking at her, her eyes that danced with laughter, her smile. Just thinking about their encounter earlier made him go all numb again and he had to fight to keep his fork from falling to hte floor.

Arlie stood from her seat and appeared to be saying something to Harry and she was leaving. But in order to leave she had to walk passed the Hufflepuff table where Justin sat watching her. Again she glanced at him and smiled, the smile that made him melt. Concequently he not only dropped his fork, but in the process he knocked his glass of pumpkin juice into his lap…quickly grabbing some napkins resulted in having a bowl of apples rolling and a dish of the hamburger/lasagna stuff sliding down the table and splattering over the floor. Not being able to decide whether or stop the apples from bouncing everywehre or to try to stop the red lumpy goo from dripping on the floor left him with the final option of stopping and just watching everything go where it must.

And the sarcastic cheering began. Shouts of "Nice one, Justin!" and "Way to go, fathead!" could be heard all through the hall. And worst of all, Arlie had seen it. She was laughing hard enough that she was wiping away tears from her eyes.

Mortified, justin began to try to fetch the apples that had found their way under the table. Maybe under here he could escape and be invisible again. He liked it that way. Nobody could laugh at you when you were invisible.

"Hey Butterfingers," he heard Arlie's laughter filled voice, "you lost some."

He tried to ignore her. Maybe she would go away and he wouldn't make a fool of himself again. Or at least if he did do it again, which was very likely, she wouldn't be there to see it.

He came back out from under the table and saw that had bent down and was nearly done cleaning up the hamburger/lasagna goo with a wad of napkins. She looked back up to him, her chocolate eyes glazed over with her laughing fit. She smiled again and one of the apples in his arms came loose and fell to the floor again. Justin glared at the fallen apple as though it had purposely defied his wish to not be further mortified. Arlie's body began to shake and she had to bite her bottom lip to keep from bursting with laughter again. Justin dropped the apples on the table and made shure they wouldn't roll off again. He loved to watch her laugh. He just wished it wasn't _him_ she was laughing at.

"Thanks for helping, Arlie," he said quietly.

"What?" she stopped sharply and looked up to him.

"I said thanks."

"No. YOu called me Arlie."

"I thought you told me to—"

"I did. Nobody ever does though."

Justin's eyes widened, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend."

"No! No, it's fine…just plain Arlie's great."

"OK," Justin felt himeslf smile shyly in spite of his akwardness. She sat down at the very end of the table and he took the seat accross from her.

"So, you got a name I can call you besides Butterfingers."

Finding his hands suddenly very interesting he answered, "Justin." She was smiling warmly again and he didn't want to run the risk of doing something stupid again. "I only get that way when you're around, y'know."

Why did he say that?! He hadn't meant to. He was thinking it! He wasn't supposed to say that out loud!

He chanced a quick glance at her and she had lost her smile but not her warmness, her eyes glistened with more curiosity than laughter. He wanted to talk to her, about anything…about everything. He wanted to ask her if she would like to go out…on a date…with him of all people.

He decided on something less personal. "You hungry?"

She looked at the food in front of her. "People are all the time trying to feed me." she said flatly. "They expect you to be thin and beautiful and then they try to stuff food down your throat."

"You don't eat?" he asked with honest sincerity in his voice.

"You aren't allowed to eat when you're me…at least not this stuff," she pointed to the hamburger/lasagna stuff. "If I eat I get fat. Fat is not attractive and attractive is what sells."

Justin thought about this for a second and finally decided to be more brave than was in his nature. "Trust me Arlie," he said quietely, looking into her eyes, "your beauty has nothing to do with your body. There's more to you than that."

"You don't even know me," she said almost defensively.

"I know you like to laugh. Usually at me it seems, but laughing just the same."

"Well, if you weren't so funny I wouldn't have a reason to laugh."

"I know you have so much pressure on you and you still carry yourself with dignity and with a joy for life. You're not mean to people just because of who you are. And I'll bet my last knut that you know what it's like to stand in a crowded room and feel completely alone."

And then she smiled. Not a laugh, not a glimmer of amusement…a real smile…and what apeared to be a blush growing in her cheeks.

Ask her, he told himself. Tell her you like her. No, she wouldn't want him. He was plain and…clumsy. Arianalei Warbeck would never notice someone like him.

She suddenly looked down away from him and gathered her bag onto her shoulder. "Justin, it was nice meeting you," she grinned at him. "I hope this will not be the last time you decide to talk to me." And he watched her leave through the large double doors of the great Hall.

"Nice try, mudblood." Draco Malfoy sat beside him uninvited. "If you wanted a chance with her then don't be such an idiot." Draco smirked. "Girls like that don't hang out with losers like you."

"Go away, Draco."

"I've got something you might want."

"What ever you've got, I don't want it." Justin started to grab his bag.

"Oh, but I I think you do." He pulled out a small green vial from the inside pocket of his robes. "You see, I've already decided that Arianalei Warbeck will be going to the ball with me. My friends over there say that _you_ have a better chance with her than I do. Now, we both know this is compeletly rediculous but I have my reputation to protect…plus, I'd like to have a little challenge, just to make it interesting for me. So I'm here to offer you this." He gave the little vial a playful shake. "Just to make things a little more even.

"What is it?" Justin looked curiously at the bottle in Draco's hand.

"Inertis Confectum." Draco smirked and his cold grey eyes were filled with mischeif. "The Coward's Potion."

"What? Why would you give me this?"

"Are you deaf as well as stupid?" Draco spat. He took the bottle and put it into Justin's hand. "Drink a small bit of this and you'll think you're Don Juan."

"Where did you get it?"

Draco narrowed his eyes and smiled horribly, "I made it. I was gonna dump it all into Potter's pumpkin juice and watch what happened." Draco laughed meanly. "But something tells me you need it much more than he does."

"I don't know," Justin said.

"You're a coward aren't you, mudblood?

"Hey, wait a minute Draco—" Justin said, offended at the comment.

"Then this potion is for you Let's see who the better man is. I dare you to ask her to the ball mudblood. That is…unless you're chicken."

"Stuff it, Draco."

Draco smiled coldly. "Cowards never win the girls. I dare you, mudblood."

And before Justin could say anything more, Draco had walked away from him. The small green vial rested firmly in his palm.


	3. November Rain

Sorry it dtook me so long to update. Here's the next chappie!! I hope you love it!!!!

* * *

**November Rain  
**(Guns and Roses)  
_I know it's hard to keep an open heart  
__When even friends seem out to harm you  
__But if you could heal a broken heart  
__Wouldn't time be out to charm you_

His robes still smelled of pumkin juice from werhe it had spilled on his lap at lunch but Justin didnt care. He stood in the boys bathroom and rolled the little green bottle between his fingers and watched the liquid inside swish around. Would it really work? Could a potion take away his fear of talking to Arlie? And what exactly was he afraid of anyways? Rejection? Being laughed at? These were things that happened on a regular basis anyways. Why would it be so different from her? And could this potion make her like him?

Well, it couldn't hurt. Draco was right. he _was_ a bit of a chicken after all, especially when ti came to Arlie. He could do with a little courage.

Carefully he twisted off the cork stopper and brought the brim to his lips. The fumes filled his nose...it didn't smell too bad and was that a hint of mint? He tipped it up and took just a tiny swallow. Staring at himself in the mirror, he studied himself. He didn't feel any different. He didn't see a physical change.

Feeling rather stupid for trusting a slytherin in the frist place, Justin stored the vial in the inside pocket of his robes and walked out the bathroom. He would just have to wait to see what the potion was _really_ going to do to him.

Without warning his view was blocked by a very solid door that had swung open and since he had no warning of it's intended opening, Justin colided with it with a painful _fwamp_. He fell to the floor, the contents of his bag went spilling, and a horrified face poked out from behind the door.

"Justin?!" the face gasped.

Justin looked beyond his startled vision and saw Arlie with her hands clasped at her mouth. Oh no, it can't be. Not again.

Arlie fell to her knees beside him, "I'm so sorry, Justin! Are you OK?"

"Yeah. I'm fine" he said. He rubbed at the growing pain in his nose where he'd hit the door. Seeing that he would live, Arlie began to pick up the mess his fallen bag had created.

"This is the 3rd time I've had to help you clean up a mess today Butterfingers," Arlie said smiling. "You've really got to stop this."

Justin, finding the humour in the situation said, "It wasn't my fault this time. This one's all yours."

"Is it always going to be like this when I'm with you?"

"Probably," Justin nodded.

Arlie shoved the last book back into his bag. "Well at least I know what to expect."

She held out her hand to help him up. When he took it and stood she didn't release him. He looked at her curiouslity. Her milk chocolate eyes filled with mischeif. "Come with me," she said and diaspeared behind the dor she had hit justin with. What was she doing? He stared at the spot where she had once stood. With a loud sigh Arlie ame back around the door. "Come on! I wanna show you something." And she and grabbed his hand and dragged him along with her into the room. She pulled the door behind them closed and gave him a strange grin. They were in one of many unused classooms in the old castle. And by the look of it it had been unused for a long time. About 5 tab;es were piled into one of the far corners. A rickety stack of chairs were in the other corner. An inch thick layer of dust covered every surface.

"I don't think we're suppoesd to be in here. Arlie?" Thebottom half of Arlie could be seen climbing up and out 1 of the wondows. "Arlie!" justin Cried and ran over to the window sill. Are you nuts?!" That was a good question, he thought. He looked out and down. It was far too high for h is liking and he felt his stomach flip flop. He leaned out the window in time to see 2 pairs of shoes diapear from above his head. She was on the roof. He called up to her again. He could here her moving on the roof above him abut she was no where in sight.

He was getting worried about her. But she poked her head out above him. "Are you coming or not?" And then she disapeared again.

Justin, suddenly feeling a bit braver than he usually did, decided it was now or never. He dropped his bag onthe floor and took a deep breath. Using a desk as a step he hauled himself up into the window and sat on the window sill, dangling his legs inside the room. He tried not to look down. "How do I get up there?" he shouted out.

"I'm right here," she said calmly. "Stand up on the window sill."

Justin looked over his shoulder to the ground. Much too high!! Justin knew his knuckels were white from holding the edge of the window and the head of a nail in his palm was begining to be a pain. He tried to forget about the disatnce between him and the ground. Slowly he stood up on the outside ledge of the window.

When he pulled himself standing he looked over the roof of the window and saw Arlie sitting on the peak waiting for him. She smiled.

"There's a ledge," she pointed to a tiny platform at his right thigh that he could use for a step up.

"I can't believe I'm doing this," Justin said and pulled himself up. Another left foot ledge brought him up to sitting beside Arlie. "How far up are we?"

"About 6 floors I think," she answered simply.

"Oh," justin said weakly. "What are we doing up here?"

"Look," she said and pointed out in front of them. "We made it for the sunset."

And then he saw it. A view like none other he had ever seen. They had a clear view of a valley between a series of never ending, tree canvased mountains where a jagged river flowed into the large lake. The giant squid could be seen, even from it's home underwater because they were up so high. The Forbidden Forest didn't seem so forbidden from such a distance and it seemed to stretch on for miles. The sun was setting behind the mountains, turning what was left of the daylight into blanket of oranges and purples. 6 years of living at Hogwarts and he had never seen such a beauty.

"You don't get this in L.A." Arlie said with a content simle.

"How did you find this?" Justin couldn't take his eyes off the site.

"When I was flying last week."

"You come up here all the time?"

"Wouldn't you?"

Justin had to agree. He looked over to Arlie and studied her. She looked beautiful in the sunset's glow and she seemed perfectly content to sit here the rest of the night just to see the sun rise. She must have felt his eyes on her because she looked over to him, catching him again...but this time he didn't feel the need to be embarased or nervous...which was an odd feeling for him. So instead he blurted out the first thing he thought of, "What school did you go to? Before here, I mean."

"When I was allowed to go to school it was the Los Angeles School for the Magical Arts."

"Isn't that a school for artists?"

"Yeah," she chuckled almost bitterly, "when I wasn't making music professionally, I was at school for music."

"You don'lt like the school?"

"No, it's great. Sometimes we take field trips to Juliard to study muggle music. Music is my life. I couldn't live without it. It just wears on you after a while. It never ends. The pressure from outside sources to be something that your not, to be perfect all the time. To have a camera pop out of no where from behind a bushind a bush. You're not a person, you're a marketing tool, you're an object to be sold. I'm Arianale Warbeck, I have no other identity. To be in a room packed with people and feel completely alone, to feel like screaming but no body would pay any attention unless it benefited them in some way. The glitz blinds you after a while."

"So why don't you just quit?"

"Never," Arlie shook her head quickly. "I couldn't be happy unless I was making music. I love performing...to hear people singing along with me to words I wrote, to music I made... There's nothing like it in the world. It's just sometimes you need a vacation every now and then, to remember exactly who I am."

"So that's why you're here?"

Arlie nodded her head. "A chance to be normal for a change. To just be Arlie, a regular girl. But even here in the Scottish Highlands I can't seem to escape myself. If I show up with the slightest smudge of makeup, I'm instantly the newest gossip with the girls on how I'm falling apart or that I've been in a broom closet with whatever guy they've decided I've been with. If my hair is the slightest bit frizzy, I am aparently going grunge. Besides you, Harry's the only other person who treats me like a human. And now I've got at least 20 inviations to this Winter Ball thing and I can garantee that not one of them is for _me_. And now some Draco guy thinks he's going with me. He didn't even ask! He acted like it was my privilage to go with him."

Justin sat and listened quitely as she ranted but had turned back to the darkening valley when she began talking about Draco. "Are you going to go with Draco Malfoy?" he asked when she had stopped talking.

"Cha, with that insolent jerk? I think not. Anyway, enough about me," she laughed in embarasment for making Justin listen to her ranting. "Tell me about you."

Justin laughed. "There's nothing to tell."

"Ah, come on Butterfingers."

"No really, take your life and go compeletly opposite. My life is uneventful and dull."

"Tell me something that everybody here knows," she demanded.

"I'm a clutz."

"Besides that," Arlie laughed.

Justin thought for a minute, "In my second year I was petrified."

Arlie's face went confused, "Petrified of what?"

"No, the Chamber of Secrets was opened and the basilisk inside froze me stiff because I'm muggleborne. I don't remember any of it though."

That's when the first drop of rain landed right on the top of his head. And then another, and another. Arlie looked up at the sky that had been nearly clear only 15 minutes ago.

"Where did that come from?" she asked the gathering clouds.

"We're in Great Britian, it does that alot here. We'd better get off this roof," he thought practicaly. He steped down the same way he'd come up just in time for it to begin to pour. He heard Arlie cry out in suprise when the rain found her and she quickly followed down after him. Both quickly drenched, justin slid himself into the window first and when Arlie followed after him he grabbed her waist and helped her jump safely down into the dusty classroom.

Safely off the slippery, wet roof they could here the rain pounding on the roof. Seeing humour in the situation, they both burst into a fit of laughter. Arlie started wringing out her clothes and her hair and Justin shook the water out of his dark hair.

"I look awful, don't I?" Arlie asked, still laughing, "I feel like a drowned rat."

"No, I like this. Drowned rat is a good look on you."

"My makeup's everywhere, isn't it?" She wiped under her eyes and tried to smooth down her frizzying hair. Justin had to smile at her. Her makeup really was everywhere and she had dark smudges where her mascara had washed onto her skin, making her warm chocoate eyes stand out even more. Arlie noticed his smiling at her. "What?" she asked self conciously.

"You're beautiful," he admited what he had been thinking, making Arlie blush.

Desperate to get the subject off of her, Arlie demanded, "Tell me something nobody else knows about you."

Justin hesitated only for a second before answering, "I like you." When he found that she was smiling back at him, instead of regretting his admission, he stepped incloser to her. "I'm afraid to admit that to you though because you might think I'm like every body else." Justin, feeling unusually brave and most unlike himself, continued and stepped in even closer. It was now or never. He put his nearly dry hand to her wet face, "And I want to kiss you but I'm afraid of what you'll think of me if I do."

When Arlie remained silent Justin lost all thought. He slowly leaned down and carefully brushed his lips across hers, silently asking her permission to continue. He felt her lean into him and push her lips against his, kissing him fully. His mind was gone, lost in her, lost in a world he had only day dreamed about since meeting her.

When they pulled apart Justin looked at her and requested sincerely "Arlie, go to the ball with me."

Arlie nodded her head and grinnbed, "OK."

* * *

A/N There it is! For now neways!!! More to come!!!! Remember, you promised yourself you would review before you left this story.


	4. You Don't Know Me

**You Don't Know Me  
**(Jann Arden)  
_No you don't know the one  
__Who dreams of you at night  
__And longs to kiss your lips  
__Longs to hold you tight  
__Oh I am just a friend  
__That's all I've ever been  
__Cause you don't know me_

Justin layed in his bed with the curtains closed. Ernie had tried to talk to him but Justin had simply excused himself and crawled into his bed, clothes still on...even his shoes.

Soon after leaving Arlie, Justin had been walking back to the Hufflepuff common room and suddenly felt very tired. As if all of his energy and adrenaline from his encounter with Arlie had all been sucked away. It was all he could do to drag himself up to his dorm room and into his bed. And now still wide awake and not bothering to try to move, Justin looked back on what had happened only an hour ago in a dusty classroom and a rainy roof. It was unlike him to be so brave. Not only did he talk a long time with Arlie without breaking anything or falling over, but he kissed her.

Justin's mind went back to that moment where their lips brushed together so softly and his stomach flip floped with happiness. The whole thing had been totally unlike him.

Justin felt himself be suddenly bathed in light and he turned to see Ernie MacMillin holding open his bed curtains.

"You OK mate?" Ernie said concernedly. "You're not acting like yourself."

Justin sighed, "I know."

"Wha's wrong?"

Justin groaned as he turned over so he could lay on his back and look at Ernie without craneing around his neck. "You know Arlie Warbeck?"

"Arlie Warbeck? Oh! Right, I'm afraid you're pronouncing her name wrong though. It's _Arianalei_ Warbeck."

Justin thought about correcting Ernie on his incorrect correction but decided it wasn't worth going through the whole ordeal. "Yeah, well...I sorta admited to her that I like her and I kissed her and now we're going to the ball together."

Aparently Ernie wasn't expecting an answer like that. He stared at justin for a few seconds, blinked, and finally laughed "Yeah right! You had me there for a second Justin. Thought you were serious! Don't do that!"

"I am serious," justin said with the most seriousness he could find while laying in his bed and lacking the will to move.

Ernie's grin faded and he realized justin was teling the truth. He sat down on his bed, out of justin's line of site. "You kissed Arianalei Warbeck?"

"Yeah."

"_You_ kissed Arianalei Warbeck?"

"Yeah."

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

"And she's going to the ball...with you?"

"Yeah."

"That's totally unlike you man."

"Yeah. I know. I don't know what came over me. It's like, all of a sudden I could do no wrong, ya know?"

"Confident?"

"Yeah, brave even." Justin found the energy to turn his head and look at Ernie. "Dude, there's areason I'm not in Gryffindor. Not until today, that is. Not until--" And then Justin had a thought. "Thbat's it!"

"What's what?"

Justin reached inside his robe popcket and pulled out the little green bottel.

"What's that?"

"Something Draco Malfoy gave me."

"Don't tell me you drank that."

"It's The Coward's Potion. I took it before I ran into Arlie and...Ernie it made me not a coward! It worked! I thought Draco was lieing...but it workd!"

"Justin, you can't be serious. You don't know what that will do to you. It could have side effects."

"I think it sucked away all my energy so I feel like a lead brick right now...but other than that I feel fine."

"I wouldn't go messing wtih that stuff if I was you Justin."

"Maybe your right." Justin put the bottle back into his pocket.

Not able to hold his eyes open anymore Justin passed out.

**~-*~*-~**

Justin woke up to Wayne Hopkins's violently shaking him and yelling for him to get ouf of bed. And then Justin realiszed what Wayne was yelling, "What are you doing in bed? It's the middle of the afternoon! You're late for class!"

With a cuss word or 2 Justin jumped out of bed and ran out of the room through the common room and barreled past some 1st years and jumped through the portrait hole. He ran all the way to Charms, what was supposed to have been his second class of the day. Arlie would be in there. The only reason he was able to to talk to her yesterday was because of the potion...he didn't know what it would be like without it...he didn't know if he _wanted_ to know. It was too bad he'd left the bottle back in hsi room. But it wans't back in his room...it was in his pocket. He was still wearing the same robes from yesterday and by reaching into the inside pocket he found the little green bottle. In a hurry to get into class Justin took a swig of the potion and replaced it into his pocket.

Justin pulled open the door and peeked inside. Professor Flitwick was not happy with him and took 5 points from Hufflepuff. Justin took his seat beside Ron and tried to advoid the eyes of other Hufflepuffs in the room.

He looked over to where he knew Arlie sat and she was looking back at him, smiling. He felt his fingers lose grip of the ink bottle he had just pulled from his bag. He tried grabbing it but every attempt at a grab slipped through his fingers like a slippery bar of soap. He did eventually manage a firm grip on it before it sailed away from him. He looke back to Arlie who was trying to keep from bursting laughing. She turned away from him shaking her head and shoulders jiggling in held in laughter.

"If you don't mind Mr Fletchley," Professor flitwick said, "I wuold like to continue. As I was saying..." Justin let his eyes wander back to Arlie. Her long hair was up today, twisted around a white stick. At first he was disappointed that he couldn't see her hair down again (he'd rather liked that) but now he could see the line of her neck and how her jaw line curved to her ear. He studied her lips and how she sucked on the end of her sugar quill.

And then Professor Flitwick asked a question to which justin knew the answer. He quickly shot up his hand and earned back the 5 points he had lost for his house. He felt proud of himself for answering the question correctly. This potion really does work, he thought. After class he hanged back to catch Arlie.

"Hey Arlie," Justin walked up to her as she was putting the last book into her bag.

"Hiya Butterfingers," Arlie grinned playfully and they walked together to the great hall for lunch. They both joined Harry and HEermione at the Gryffindor table. Justin noticed Ron was not with them. Justin looked down the table and saw Ron snuggling up close to Lavender Brown.

"Hey Arianalei," Hermione said. "I'm going to Hogsmeade today to find dress robes for the ball. You wanna come?"

Arlie shruggesd, "Shure."

Hermione grinned ear to ear. "They've got a new dshop down there. We could check that out first."

"Sounds great. Always up for shopping."

Justin noticed Arlie had not touched a bite of food since they'd sat down but didn't want to say antyhing about it right now. He hated that she didn't eat. Surely somethng as simple as an apple couldn't hurt her. So instead he stuffed his own mouth with a shovel full of corn.

"Draco Malfy's looking over here again," Hermione observed irritibily.

"What have I done this time?" Harry looked over to see Draco staring hatefully in their direction.

Justin didn't bother to turn around and look at Draco himself but knew there was more than a good possiblity that it was him sitting with Arlie that Draco was staring at, not Harry.

Arlie directed their attention further down their own table, "Draco Malfoy's not the only one hating us right now."

Harry looked to where she was talking about and saw Ginny glaring horribly in their direction. She was decked out in the dark clothes and makeup she usually wore these days. "That's Ginny. I don't know what's been up with her lately. She's not usually like that."

"Been that way since the last few weeks of summer vacation," Hermione added. "She won't talk to me about it either. Don't worry about her. She'll get over it."

Letting the subject drop Arlie said, "So when're we going to Hogsmeade?"

"Right after lunch if that's OK by you," Hermone ansewred.

"Yeah, that's great."

"OK I'll meet you outside then," Hermione stood up and left the table and Harry decided to follow after her.

"You really should eat something," Justin said when they'd gone.

Arlie rolled her eyes. "I don't want to eat. I had breakfast and dinner is right around the corner. I'm not hungry."

Convinced he was right Justin pushed, "Just an apple. Please. An apple won't kill you."

"Maybe not, but an unscheduled apple will lead to an unscheduled sandwich, and that will lead into a large hunk of chocolate cake in no time and I don't want that."

"Arlie, you need eat. This can't be healthy."

Arlie's eyes narrowed angrily. "What's wrong with you Justin?"

"You need to eat, that's what's wrong."

Arlie's voice lowered dangerously, "I am perfectly healthy. I live perfectly well on a very ridged diet. No, I don't eat some of the things I wish I could, but oh well, I'm happy this way. If I lose control of something as simple as eating, then I will lose control of everything else and that's not a good thing when your entire life is chaos. _Don't_ do this."

And now Justin was angry, though he wasn't sure exactly why. This didn't seem like something that should have turned into a row. What were they arguing about? Food? How stupid was that? But He was right and he had to make her understand that. And she was being stupid for arguing with him in the first place. "Girls are all the time thinking they're fat."

"Why are you being like this?"

"Just get over yourself and see that beauty doesn't matter to anybody but you. It's like that's all you ever really care about."

"Don't go there, Justin," Arlie said in a flat warning tone.

"Don't tell me what to do Arianalei, you don't know me."

Arlie was silent for several sseconds before she finally said in a very strained voice and her usual warm chocolate eyes had changed to 2 pits of lethal fire, "You're right Justin. I don't know you. I thought you'd be different from everybody else but I guess I was wrong. Turns out your just like everybody else. Where's the sweet guy I was talking to yesterday?"

Justin felt his mind pull against yesterday's rainy evening like it was only a fading memory and the more he talked to Arlie the worse his anger at her became. "He was akward and clumsy. It was a weakness," he said flatly, "and the weakness has been eliminated."

"Who are you?" She said, her voice rising. She stood from her seat and pulled her bag to her shoulder. "I thought you were a nice guy justin."

"If you leave now," Justin warned her, "don't bother talking to me again."

Arlie smiled and said coldly, "Don't worry. I won't." And then she was gone. She quickly walked out of the great Hall, leaving Justin to face the attention he had called to himself. Seeing that he was now the center of eveyrybody's attention, Justin swore at Arlie under heis breath and stomped out of the gret Hall too.

~-*~*-~

Hermione sat waiting for Arianalei outside on the steps of the main entrance of Hogwarts. She had only been there a few minutes when Arlie came stompning thru the door and down the steps, wearing a scowl that would burn the hair off a troll's butt. Hermone wanted to ask what was wrong but Arlie kept walking toward Hogsmede at a fast pace. Hermione caught up with her and they walked together in silence.

Eventually, when they were close to the new dress shop Hermione had wanted to check out, Arlie did seem to run out of steam. Her face had calmed down and she was walking at a normal pace. Hermione pointed to the new store when it came into view. _Visions of Couture_.

Arianalei seemed interested in the shop, especially the Couture part. Hermione asked what that meant. "They're made by hand, very elegant, and very expensive. Every dress is one of a kind."

On the outside it looked just like all the other shops of Hogsmede but when they stepped inside the room looked as though they could fit 3 or 4 more shops inside. They were greeted by a woman with a high pointed nose and a tightly pulled bun of black hair. She was incredibly thin, almost frail looking, and she moved gracefully as if she had been made of wind. Her floor lenth dark red dress fit tight against what was left of her small body. Hermioone thought her personal upkeep must be very expensive.

"Hello," she drawled lazily in a rolling forin accent, "I am Agatha Benoni. You are in need of a gown, no?"

"Yeah," Hermione smiled. "We're having a ball at the school in a couple nights."

"Yes, I have many girls today want for a ball gown."

Arianalei cleared her throat, "These are couture dresses?"

Madam Benoni turned up her pointed nose haughtily, "Couture is my speciality. The finest in all Europe."

"We'll just look around," said Arianalei, "if you don't mind."

Madam Benoni's eye twitched slightly and her red painted smile faultered at having a guest simply _browsing_. "Of course," she finally managed to crank out.

Hermione bounded excitedly to the first dress she came to. It was red, floorl lenth, with a corset bodice. At first glance Arianalei had thought it was pretty (with much exctement from Hermione) but she took a closer look. The beading was off, and there was something about the stitches that looked...manufactured? She looked at the one next to it, a navy blue gown. It was the same way but on this corset bodice the beads were hanging on by only a thread. Arianalei had to laugh.

"How much are you asking for this dress?" Arianalei called out.

"It's very expensive," Madam Benoni answered dryly.

Arianalei turned to herminoe and said with a strained laugh, "It's very expensive. How could we possibly afford the _finest_ of all Europe. How _silly_ of us to have bothered you, Madam Benoni."

Arianalei grabbed Hermione's arm and pulled her out of the shop.

"What was that all about," Hermione asked.

"Hermione, those dresses were horrible. That woman gives a bad name to all that is beautiful. My bet is she heard about the ball here and saw an oportunity to swindle money out of girls who don't know any better. If you want, you can borrow one of my dresses. If you don't mind it being previously used, it's a lot better than what's in there," she pulled her finger at the store as they left.

"One of_ your_ dresses?" Hermione squealed.

"Yeah. Come on, we'll find you something."

So then they went back to Hogwarts and into the girl's dormatory and into Arianalei's room. She had her own room only because there was no more beds available in Hermione's room so she had been put into one of the spare beds in another room. Arianalei opened her closet and inside were mostly regular clothes and Hogwarts school robes. She waved her wand and the rack holding the clothes switched apart, went backwards, and a rack of pretty colours and sparklies came from behind. Hermione gasped. She put her hand to her mouth. Arianalei pulled out a long white flowly chiffon dress with a streppless corset top that was made of layers of stiffened lace. Intricate opal beadings were placed so the entire dress would sparkel without being too gaudy.

"Now _that_ is a couture dress. I think this would be perfect for you." Arianalei held it up to Hermione's neck to get a good look.

"You want me to wear this?" Hermione's jaw droped open.

"It's comfy enough. I wore it to the Tony Awards last year. I've got others if you don't like it."

"It's georgous!" Hermione gushed and took it from Arianalei and handled it like it was a priceless ming vase. "What are you going to wear?"

"I'm not going."

"What? I thought you were going with Justin."

"Arianalei's horrible scowel returend. "Not anymore."

"What happened?"

"After you and Harry left the lunch room he said some really nasty things. I don't get it Herminoe. He seemed so nice before. The way he looked at me...it was like he was seeing _me_. Not the tabloid version...but the real me. And then today he acts like a total jerk."

"That doesn't sound like justin at all...he's always so nice. Even tord Draco Malfoy, who's a huge prat."

"Well he picked today to start being horrible."

"What'd he say?"

"He was scolding me like I was 5 yrs old for not eating. And he thinks I'm a conieted spoiled brat."

"He said that?"

"Basically yeah."

"I've seen you eating plenty of times. Not as much as I wish, but you don't seem to have a real problem. I can't believe he would do that to you."

"Believe it," Arianalei said with a bitter laugh.

"So then you're just not going to go at all?"

"Wasn't planning to go in the first place till he asked me. Don't see any reason why I should now."

"The reason is that you'll have a fantastic time without him."

"What is it with you guys and this ball anyway?"

"It's the Winter Ball," Hermione said as if ti was obvious what the fuss over a ball was about.

"It's just another party. Trust me. They're really not worth getting so worked up over. Thje every day things are so much better. Like what you and Harry have."

"Vut the Winter Ball happens only 1nc a year. It's special."

"Love happens even less and is even more special. Tresure the day to day things Hermione. Don't put all your dreams into a night that will happen only once."

H ermione smiled and thought about what Arianalei had said. She thought about Harry.

~-*~*-~

Justin stomped out of the great hall. He didn't like the way he felt. It was anger and frustration and resentment. It didn't feel anything like it did when he'd been talking to Arlie on that rainy evening. The potion must not be working, he thought. He took out the little green bottle and spinned it around in his fingers. Stupid potion. Confident it couldn't possibly hurt him any more than it already has, Justin brought the botlte to his lips and downed the rest of the bottle's contents. Lets see if _that_ does anything, He thought.

Not long after running over a 1st year and not bothering to stop and apologize and pushing 1 or 2 3rd years out of his way, Justin came accros Harry.

"Hiyah Justin," Harry said cheerfully. "Where's Arianalei?"

Justin's anger over what happened in the great hall grew and he yelled out, "Do I look like her keeper?!" and Harry jumped back with a surprised reaction. "Why should I care where she is?"

"Justin--"

"And you know what? She can forget about us going to the ball together. I don't need her! I can get any other girl I want."

"Justin--"

"She's nothing but a selfish concieted..." Justin searched for the right word and spat out, "_celebrity_."

Justin," Harry looked at him concernedly. "What's wrong? This isn't like you."

Ju

Justin's anger was now violently directed at Harry. He steped tord Harry, making Harry step backwards from surprise until his back hit the wasll and Justin angrily came face to face with him.

"Don't tell me what I am Harry," he said with grited teeth. "I'm not like I was before. I'm not letting you walk all over me anymore. I'm diffferent now and I'm all the better for it. I don't need _her_ and I don't need _you_. So sod off and leave me alone."

Justin turned away from Harry, who stared after him with wide eyes, and managed to take about 4 steps before feeling like someone had just dropped a 50 pound chain on his back and his head felt like a lead brick to where he couldn't hold himself up anymore. He leaned against the wall for support but even that wasn't enough to keep him standing. The last thing he saw before he met the floor was Harry rushing over to him and then blackness covered him.

* * *

A/N: OK so the whole couture thing wasn't my idea. I totally got it from Project Runway! Vincent inspired Agatha Benoni :D I was planning all the time for Hermione to borrow one of Arlie's dresses but then I saw the dresses on Project Runway and thought OMG that is so perfect so they made an apearance in this story! Great huh?! Thannks for reading! Please leave a review! Chapter 5 will be up soon. Toodles!

P.S. Real Me A/N: Please keep in mind that this was originally written back in 2006. So the Project Runway in question is from season 3 (my favourite, I loved Jeffrey, Michael, and Uli the best!), Episode 9: _Couture du Jour _and Agatha Benoni's alter ego is Vincent Libretti.


	5. Start of Something New

**Start of Something New  
**(High School Musical)  
_Living in my own world  
__Didn't understand  
__That anything can happen  
__When you take a chance  
__It feels so right  
__To be here with you  
__And now looking in your eyes  
__I feel in my heart  
__The start of something new_

Justin woke up 2 days later lying in a bed in the hospital wing. He tried to sit up but his head throbed. He fell back down on his pillow. He tried to recal what had happenend that would land him iunder the care of madam pomprhrey. The last thing he rememberered was awalking with Arlie to lunch after Charms. Everything beyond that was a thick fog. Arlie was angry at him for something and Harry...What had he done? He closed this eyes and thought of Arlie. Something most definitely not good.

Harry and Hermione walked in for a visit with him. Hermione sat on the end of his bed. Harry sat on the chair beside him.

"How ya feeling?" Harry said.

"Heavy." Justin answered honestly. "What happened to me?"

"You don't remember?"

Justin shook his head no. "The last clear thing I remember is walking to lunch with Arlie. After that I think I did something bad but I don't know what."

"I'll say you did," Hermione said. "Arianalei's really mad."

"Why? What'd I do?"

"YOu weren't eactly acting like _you_ mate." Harry siad cautiously. "You were really angry."

Madam Pomphrey came over and glared at him. "Good after noon Mr Fleteley," She said tensely. "Would you like to tell me exactly what you have done to yourself?" She held up a little green bottle in between her fingers.

Justin felt his stomahe sink. "Inertis Confectum," he answered timidly.

"The Coward's Potion?!" Hermione squealed. Justin noded yes and Madam pomfprey sighed heavily and walked away. "What are you doing taking that?"

"It was supposed to make me more able to talk to Arlie...y'know, more brave."

"It made you a right jerk, is what it did," Harry added.

"It worked at first. I don't know what happened."

Hermione took the bottle from Justin. "Justin, the bottle's empty. You didn't drink ti all did you?" Justin nodded yes again. "My guess is that you over dosed on confidence and it made you the controling violent idiot we all saw."

"What about Arlie? Does she hate me now?"

"You mean Arianalei? Yeah, I'd say it's safe to say she hates you right now."

"Wha'dyou think I should do?"

Harry chuckeld dryly, "Gravel and tell the truth. Right now that's all you've got."

"Right," Justin stood up and walked out the door. He was still in his hospital wing PJ's and fuzzy slippers. Seeing his current clothing issue he popped back in the room and came back to bed. "What is today?" he asked.

"Turns out you're just in time for the ball tonight," Harry said.

"Is Arlie going?"

"Yeah, no thanks to you," Hermione said. "She didn't want to but I talked her into coming."

"Great," Justin said, "that'll be my chance then."

~-*~*-~

Hermione walked in through the portrait hole with Harry behind her. "I'm going to Arlie's room to start getting ready," she said.

"The ball doesn't start for another 4 hours!"

"Oo.. then I'd better hurry. Cya later Harry," she ran off to Arlie's room.

Hermine entered knocked on the door and went inside. Arianalei was sitting on the side of her bed looking at the white dress that hanged on the door of her closet. She turned when she heard Hermioen let herself in. "Time to get ready?"

"We've got 4 hours."

"That's it?! Thought it was earlier than that. Okay, let's get started then."

"Great," Hermione smiled. "So how are you planning to do your hair?"

"Me? I'm not doing anything. Louis is going to do it for us. I've never been able to fancy myself up on my own."

"Who's Louis?"

"My stylist. He's coming here...should be any minute now. We should get you into your dress first though."

"Your stylist..." Hermione gaped, "is coming here?....You have a _stylist_?"

"Of course," Arianalie shruged. "Couldn't live without him! He's amazing."

Arianalei helped Hermione into the layers of her dress and was tying the last back straps just as there was a nock on the door.

"Come in!" Arianalei called out, not wanting to let go of the straps of the corset bodice (hermione gasped as the straps were pulled tighter). In walked a dark haired man that was a little taller than the girls, dressed very stylish and very handsome in a posh sort of way. He was carrying a duffle-sized black bag that he sat on the floor by the door.

"Arianalei, my love, my diva!" he gushed as he came over to kiss her cheek. He survey her work on the straps. He turned his dark eyes on his charge and half gasped/half shrieked horrified and his hands went to his opened mouth, "What have you done to yourself?!"

"What?" Arianalei asked innocently.

"Look at your hair!" he cried and looked at her few strands of frizzies.

"I've been on vacation Louis."

"All of my work gone down Hogwart's drains," he threw his hands to the air in theatrical defeat. "You're lucky I'm here, Love. Don't worry. We'll get you back to normal again. This must be your friend," he walked in a circle around Hermione. "Something is missing."

Hermione looked at him blankly, "Well I don't know what, cuz you're not getting anything else in this dress." She self concously felt around her tightened torso.

"Of course," he said and reached into his black bag. He pulled out a diamond laced necklace that oozed expensiveness. He wraped it around HErmione's neck, "Do not for _any reason_ remove this from your body at any time until I take it off again." Not able to remove her eyes from the sparklies she chanced a look down and noticed she was carrying more cleavage than was normal for her. She immediately began trying to flatten down the exposed bust that had been created by the form of the corset.

"Don't do that," Arianalei slapped away her hand, "you look great..it's supposed to be like that."

"I've never in my life worn this much fabric and at the same time felt so exposed."

"Is it too tight?" Arianalei asked. "Can you breathe? That's the important thing."

"It's tight but Yeah, I can breathe fine. What about you?"

"I don't really know. Louis, how about that purple one I wore for the Oscars?"

"You went to the Acadamy Awards?" Hermione's mouth dropped open.

"I was on arm of one of the presenters," waved it off as if it was nothing. "Made the best dressed list though didn't I Louis?"

Louis rolled his eyes, "Muggles. I don't know, it's been previously done, love." The corner of Louis's eye twitched at the thought. "Let me whip you up something or we can apparate into London."

"We don't have enough time…It's just a Hogwarts ball, Louis and I love that dress. It's the perfect time to give it another go around."

Louis looked through her sparklies in the closet and sighed heavily. "If I must choose from _these_...I'd have to agree with the purple one.

(A/N: I'm terrible at clothing descripttions…originally right here I had a pic posted within the story...lol...but FFNet doesn't allow that. Too bad, it makes me cringe whenever I see it. Sorry.)

He continued to help Arianalei into her dress and worked his magic on Hermione and Arianalei's hair and before they knew it 4 hrs and 5 mins past. They stood in front of Arianalei's full lenth mirror.

Arianalei wrapped her arm around hermione's waist as they're reflections stared back at them, "Harry's gonna flip when he sees you," she smiled at their reflections and Hermione blushed. She took Hermione's arm, "Ready to go nock em dead?" Hermione smiled brightly and nodded.

They walked together arm and arm down to the entrance hall where they were to meet up with the boys. Harry was looking at hermnione from down the stairs with wide eyes and a large smile as they walked ddown to join him. Harry was looking grate in his black and dress robes.

"Wow hermione!" he blurted out ungracefully. "you look...wow..."

"Thanks," she blushed, "you too," and took his arm and went inside.

(A/N: I'm sorry this is so boring rite here. I'm just gonna say they all went inside with Harry drooling like...well...like a boy... Arlie went inside too. IOf course, everybody's staring at the 2 most gegorgous girls in the entire school specially Arlie cuz she is who she is and everybody else is in junky Benoni Originals. Nothing else has happened. Now isnt that much better than a bunch of yucky descriptions? Jumpin to something more interesting.)

~-*~*-~

Justin sat at a table and played with whatever shugary confection happened to be on the plate in front of him. He had been waiting for Arlie to show up. Hermione had said she would be... maybe getting here early wasn't such a good idea after all. Waiting... Justin sighed. There was music playing but it wasn't dancing music...it was boring elevator music that threatened to put justin to sleep. Dressed in there formal finest, others had begun arriveing and were sitting down at other tables or milling around with other students. He kept his eyes on the door. It was getting tiring watching couple after couple come through looking so blisfully happy. And now the room was filling up and there there was still nos ign of Arlie. Dressed in there formal He saw Harry enter in with Hermone in a dress that was definitely much more intersting than what the other girls were wearing. He was about to give up when right behind Hermoinme walked in Arlie. If he hadn't been so scared of having to talk to her he might have noticed what she was wearing. But right now her attire was not on his current attention priority list, what he would say to her was.

Tell the truth and gravel, he told himself.

They sat at a table on the other side of the room beside Neville Longbottom.

"Hiay Justin," he heard Ernie say from behind him and came to sit beside him.

"Hey Ernie," Justin smiled. "Where's Hannah?"

"Doing girlie things over there with Lavender Brown and the Patil sisters," he pointed over to where the 4 girls were giggling and admiring each other. "Where's Arianalei Warbeck? I thought you were coming together."

"She hates me," he said.

"Oh…" Ernie said, "OK…" That was not the answer he thought he was going to get. "So whatchya gonna do now?"

"I've got to talk to her." And without thinking anohter moment he stood up and awalekd over to where Arlie was sitting accross the room. It's now or never, he told himself.

As he approached he saw Hermione begin a coughing fit on seeing him and was apparently doing a girly thing where they tell each other things without actually saying anything because Arlie quickly whirled hher head around over her shoulder and saw Justin coming toward her. She turned back around so her back would be to him and she wouldn't have to see him.

"Arlie?" Justin said quietly. His greeting went unnoticed and she began talking to Neville about where his date, Luna Lvoegood could be. "Arlie?" he repeated. "Could we talk for a minute?"

"So I'm back to Arlie now, am I?" she said coldly.

"Please can we talk?"

"If there's something you wanted to say to me you can cram it back down your throat where it belongs and choke on it."

He had expected this reaction from her but it didn't make her words any less poisonous. He looked to Hermione and Harry for help. Hermione leaned over and Justin could overhear her saying, "You should hear him out Arianalei." When this was rejected by a horrified Arlie Hermione continued, "Just go, k?" Arlie glared horribly at HRminoe but stiffly rose from her seat and agreed to Justinj's request.

"This had better be good. You have 1 minute," she said in a hard voice as they walked away from the small group at the table.

"I'm sorry," he admitted quietly.

"Now there's a good start," she said sarcastically. "Not good enough though. Now if you'll excuse me, I don't like to waste my time on pointless appologies."

"Arlie please, I'm sorry OK? You have no idea how sorry I am and it may seem pointless to you, but not to me...it's from my heart. I need to tell you about what happened--"

"What happened?!" her voice rose. "What happened was you finally showed who you really are! That's what happened! Is this some sick little game you like to play? You seem really nice at first and then just when a girl starts to feel like she can trust you...you pull the rug out from under her and watch how far she can fall?"

Justin was taken aback, "Arlie, I'm not sure what I said or did--"

"Oh, so you're gonna play that old card are you? _I'm sorry, I didn't think it was so terrible to call you a conceited brat and yell at you like a control freak jerk._ Forgive me if I don't care."

"I said that?" When she began to walk away he ran to step in front of her. "No, please, I'm serious whatever I did that wasn't me. You need to know that wasn't me!"

"Yeah, who was it then? The President of the United States come to screw with my life?"

"Well, it was me but it wasn't."

"I don't care for riddles," she said impatiently.

"I was terrified to talk to you. I'm not exactly a social person anyway and really liking you didn't help my inability to think whenever you were around...let alone actually speak to you. I didn't think I had a single chance in the world with you. Then I was given a potion that would help me out with that problem."

"A potion?" she asked disbelievingly.

"It's called The Coward's Potion. Hermione says it gives you confidence. So yeah, I took it and everything was going great. I could look at you smiling and not make an idiot out of myself, I could talk openly with you about... _everything_... But then the next day I thought the potion had worn off. I didn't want to go back to being the uncoordinated moron you'd met before so I took some more. The double dose backfired and the last thing I really remember clearly is us walking to lunch together. I'm sorry for what I said, but you have to know that wasn't really me doing those horrible things. I never should have taken that potion in the first place. I'm sorry for everything."

All through his explaination Arlie stood listening quietly and allowed him to take her hand in his as he apologised again. "So that day on the roof," she began quitely, "you had taken the potion then?" Justin nodded his head. "So that wasn't really you then either, was it? You kissed me...that wasn't really you. It wasn't _you_ I was pouring my heart out to, it was a potion."

"No Arlie--"

Arlie slipped her hand out of his grasp, "It's all been a lie. Everything's been a complete lie this whole time. I--I don't know you. I thought you were a nice guy that I could like, straight off from that lunch where you made that horrible mess. You were funny and sweet and strangely honest. But you wouldn't allow me to know the real you...now I guess I never will."

Justin felt like his heart had been ripped out of his chest when Arlie pulled away from him. He watched after her as she, clearly disturbed by what she had learned, walked out the large double doors and disappeared. When he looked around him he realised they had drawn the attention of many couples around the room. They were now looking at him. He didn't care nemore. Nothing seemed to matter. He quickly walked out of the hall just as the music began to pick up a dancing beat.

~-*~*-~

Three days following the ball Justin had still not talked to Arlie. He swa her in classes but she preteneded to nto know him and refused to aknoligede his existence in the world. It wasn't until he was sitting alone at dusk in the libary working on an essay for Astronomy that Arlie suddenly plopped down in the chair beside him. He looked up to her a bit shocked, not knowing if it was real this time or if he was just imagining it again. The lantern light that sat on the table lit her face like in a dream.

"You made a fool of me, you know that?" she said flatly as she stared ahead of her out the window.

After a few seconds Justin managed to croak out, "I'm sorry. That wasn't what i intended."

"You lied to me."

"I know."

"You're talking to me now. Are you on the potion?"

"No. Potion free."

She finally turned to look at him, her chocolate eyes were warm with what was clearly anger and hurt.

"Look," he said before she could say anything, "that day on the roof...I didn't fall down and I didn't drop anything and I was able to talk to you without finding my words stuck in my throat, but everything I said and did was all me. I just needed the courage to let myself risk it...I thought I needed a potion to help me. I didn't realize that anything is possible if you only take a chance. I may have felt more outgoing and confident than I normally do...but it was all me."

Arlie was silent for a few more seconds. "Don't do it again," she said, to which Justin eagerly nodded.

"What happens now?" he asked afraid of the answer.

"We start over," she said simply. Suddenly she broke out in a huge, bright, Arlie-ish smile and held her right hand out to him, "I'm Arianalei Warbeck. You can call me Arlie though."

Justin, seeing he was on his way to forgiveness, stuck out his own right hand and gave hers a good shake, "Justin, nice to meet you."

But upon moving his hand toward hers he had knocked over his ink bottle and black ink quckly ccrawled on to his Charms essay. Seeing this, he tried to save his paper and ink but that only made him also knock over the lantern that caught his papers, Charms book, and the table on fire. Justin quickly grabbed Arlie and pulled her back against a bookshelf away from the growing fire just as Madam Pince ran over. She gasped, horrified, and put the fire out with a spell from her wand that sprayed out a layer of cold fog over the blaze.

"Mr Finch-Fletchley!" she whispered and rounded on him, "_out_ of my library!" She practically threw his blackened book and bag into his arms and shooed him away.

Justin and Arlie hurried away from the scene as fast as they could and over their shoulders they could see Madam Pince charming the table back to it's original luster. Now outside the libary, safe from the wrath of Madam Pince, Arlie and Justin stopped in the corridor.

"I don't believe I just caught the library on fire," justin said in awe.

Not able to hold it in, Arlie burst into a fit of laughter. Butterfingers was most definitely back. He loved seeing her laugh, even if it _was_ at him and he no longer minded and even joined in on the laughter. He put a hand softly to the back of her head and pulled her close to him with a hand to her waist. And in that happy moment he did the one thing he thought would never happen without the help of a potion. He kissed her.

The End.

* * *

AHH!! I finally finished it!!! There it is!!!! Hoep you all liked it! Thanks to Precious Rin for inspiring this story!!! Cuz it wouldn't be here without her!!! PLZ PLEAZX PLEASE don't leave this story without giving off a review!! It would be most loved!!! I love the reviews!!! Can't get enough of them!!! Must..Have...MORE!!!! tHANks for reading :D!

Okay, in all seriousness, I hope you liked this story even though it was probably a painful journey and kudos to you for not giving up at the first paragraph :) Thanks!


End file.
